Sunday Spotlight: A Game of Thrones

A Game of Thrones
By George R.R. Martin
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire #1
Ebook Edition
788 Pages
Published January 1st, 2003
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Creature Feature: ???
Rating: 5

I started reading this book because I wanted to have more information on the characters and events of the HBO series, Game of Thrones. I enjoyed the show and felt it stayed pretty true to the book all for a few inconsequential scenes. While reading the book, I got a look into what the characters were thinking and feeling when they made their big decisions and went through their coming of age trials. I really enjoyed that aspect of it. 

Now, setting aside the HBO series altogether. This is the start of what I can only refer to as Epic Fantasy. I have many good memories of my childhood days of adventuring in Narnia, accompanying a hobbit to the dragon's lair, and racing across icy battlefields on polar bears with a brave young girl. All these wonderful experiences reading brought me as a child came rushing back as I read through A Game of Thrones. The characters are so real you can't help but love certain ones entirely and hate others bitterly. You can't help but hold your breath in fear at their trials and cry out in victory for their triumphs. 

Each chapter is told from a different point of view, focusing on one main character or another, giving us deep insights into their inner workings. This style brings the reader so much closer to the story, connecting them to the characters and making them as real as their loved ones. 

This first book can be slow at times, but I believe that is mostly due to the fact that this is the first book, and the author is trying to establish a relationship between reader and character. He is trying to pull us into this lush, wonderful world before he truly shows us the big guns. 

The next installment, A Clash of Kings, promises to be insanely epic. This is one girl who has fallen for fantasy all over again.

Waiting Sucks

My hubby and I have been re-watching season 3 of True Blood in anticipation of the season 4 premiere on Sunday, the 26th. This second watch through has helped the skepticism of my first watch. I was pretty upset about all the crazy parts they messed up in season 3, but now I'm not really worried about it. I figure that the TV series and the books need to be appreciated as separate entities, because they will never reflect the other very well.

That being said, I am very excited for season 4! I have been eagerly awaiting it every since I finished the fourth book and fell in love with Eric completely. Amnesia Eric will be well worth the wait... I hope. I'm also interested to see where they go with Lafyette and Jesus's witchy roots. And, what about Jessica and Hoyt? What's with the creepy doll? Is the crazy Hoyt stalker girl out for revenge? We shall just have to wait and see.

So, what are you all looking forward to? Do you watch the show or are you a Trubie? What are your fav story lines and anticipated events? Let me know in the comment section below!

Review: Lover Unleashed

Lover Unleashed
J.R. Ward
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #9
Ebook Edition
464 Pages
Published March 29th, 2011
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Creature Feature: Vampires
Rating: 4

I have just one word for you all; filler. Yes, this installment of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, when boiled down to it, is not much more than a filler, albeit a fairly good one. Now usually, I give fillers at the most a 3 rating, if not less than that, but I felt Lover Unleashed deserved a 4 because of how important all its components are going to be in future releases. 

Lover Unleashed is the story of Vishous' vampyre twin Payne and her struggle with recent injuries sustained sparing with Wrath. Payne meets Manuel Manello, Jane's former surgeon associate, and they fall madly in love, blah, blah, blah. We've heard this before, J.R. Ward has created an repetitive, yet effective formula for this series. These two are supposed to be the main focus for this installment, yet they don't get a ton of screen time. Most of the book is taken up introducing new characters, new plot lines, and wrapping up some old plots we've been waiting to get closure on. Die hard fans will be satisfied and intrigued, but new fans of the series who have not followed up until now will be confused and likely bored. 

Highlights: 

Manny & Payne 

Manny & Butch 

Vishous & Butch wrap up 

Vishous & Jane drama 

Qhuinn, Blay, & Saxton continuing drama 

The Bastards are introduced. 

A new cop character. 

Overall I have to say I enjoyed the Bastards a lot and am excited to see where Ward takes them. Especially Xcor, who in my opinion seems like the secret softie. 

I recommend this book to fans. It was a great lead up to bigger and better things for the Brothers. I really don't recommend starting your Black Dagger Brotherhood experience with this book. Please start form the beginning and benefit from the full effect. 

Alice, Madness Returns

On my way to the midnight release for Alice, Madness Returns. It's going to be an amazing game! If you buy it new, it comes with a code for download of the original PC game. From the trailers, this sequel looks just as dark as the first, with exceptionally beautiful graphics! Can't wait!

What a Workout!

I recently bought this at Wal-mart for the weighted gloves to bump up my workout at the gym. I opened the box and tossed the DVD aside thinking, "I won't be needing this cheesy workout video." Boy was I wrong. After becoming frustrated with Dance Central for the Kinect for the 10th time, I decided to pop this puppy in and I was completely amazed. Leslie Sansone is peppy and giggly, but I actually never felt like punching her the whole 60 minutes. She is really upbeat and motivating, and her energy becomes infectious throughout the workout. The workout is 4-miles of walking in place, side-to-side, kicking, and punching. The best part about this workout is that it is completely doable for anybody. You can choose to do one, two, three, or all four miles and it comes with an extra lower body toning session. The weighted gloves bump up the whole thing leaving you feeling really satisfied and good about yourself at the end. I absolutely love it and so does my hubby (shhh... don't tell!).

Friday, Nerdy Friday

So today was a pretty fun day. My hubby and I have been wanting to go to our local comic book store, Comic Kingdom for awhile now, but with his crazy schedule at work, we aren't able to make it before it closes. Luckily, we got a chance today and I got some pretty sweet stuff. I picked up some issues of Batgirl, numbers 5, 8, and 10-20. I have always loved the original Batgirl, Barbara Gordan, and thought I would give the new girl a try. Now don't worry, I'm not going to turn this into a comic book blog, I know this isn't the right audience for that, but I just wanted to share my nerdy tendencies with you all between reviews. I had so much fun at the store that I plan to go back soon and pick through their grab bags.

While I was there, I also pre-ordered the comic adaptation of the Dark Swan series by Richelle Mead. I absolutely love the books and can't wait to see them adapted into comics. The first one, see illustration above, was released last month and I completely missed it! So I put in a request at the store to have them for me when the second issue is released on June 25th. I'm so excited! Anyway, thanks for humoring me and my nerdy ways. I <3 all you wicked readers!

Hush, Hush

Hush, Hush
By Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: Hush, Hush #1
Ebook Edition
400 Pages
Published October 13th, 2009
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Creature Feature: Angels
Rating: 3

For the first book in a YA series, this was alright. I expect the first-in-series to be a little off so I have high hopes for the next book to be much better. Now I'm not saying I didn't like it. I enjoyed a diversion from the vampire saturated market, that today's YA fiction has become. The mythology of Hush, Hush unfolds for the main character Nora as she delves deeper into the dark and tangled world of the mysterious guy Patch.

I'm eager to see Nora's character develop, as she was a bit flighty and twitchy. If Nora's emotions and decisions in this book were a car, it would be swerving all over the damn road causing devastating accidents. It's a bit annoying and distracting from the story. I'm also not a fan of her friend Vee who seems to be just as superficial and fickle as the girls that pick on her for her weight.

All in all I am looking forward to reading the second book Crescendo and seeing how the plot develops from there.

Dead Witch Walking

Dead Witch Walking
By Kim Harrison
Series: The Hollows #1
Ebook Edition
432 Pages
Published October 13th, 2009
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Creature Feature: Withes, Vampires, Werewolves, Pixies, Fae, etc.
Rating: 4

I actually liked this a lot more than I was expecting.

Dead Witch Walking starts out slow, and I mean very slow. It takes about the first 100 pages for the plot to begin in earnest and another 50 for the action to start. Once the action gains some momentum, it doesn't stop until the end of the book.

There are many negative reviews for this book here on Goodreads, and I have to agree with most of them that it suffers from the "first book in the series" syndrome a...moreI actually liked this a lot more than I was expecting.

Dead Witch Walking starts out slow, and I mean very slow. It takes about the first 100 pages for the plot to begin in earnest and another 50 for the action to start. Once the action gains some momentum, it doesn't stop until the end of the book.

There are many negative reviews for this book here on Goodreads, and I have to agree with most of them that it suffers from the "first book in the series" syndrome and has some issues with the character development and relationships. However, even though the story takes a bit to get started, once it does it is hard to put the book down. I had to finish this last night to find out how it ended. Now, the ending is a bit lack luster, but there is a hint of promise for following books to be exciting. I have also heard that the rest of the series is amazing and this is just one of those books you have to get through to get to the good stuff.

Don't let the slow beginning and lack of hottie love interests deter you form giving this series a try. Near the end we get a glimpse of future interests for Rachel so do not fear!

I will definitely be giving the rest of the Hollows series a try. The lush world and engaging companion characters are well worth it.

Re-Vamp Hee Hee

Hey everyone! Not sure if you're still with me seeing as I've been very absent, however I think I've got a handle on it now. The reviewing pace may be a bit slower than when I first started but, it will be a lot more frequent than once a month. Sorry about that.

On another note, I have decided to give the page a new look very soon. I am going to be working with a new blog theme as my tastes and goals are changing. You could say my blog will be re-vamped. Pun intended.

The new look should be up in the next few days so please forgive me if things look a mess for a bit and let me know what you think of the new theme.

The new theme will coincide with my username on GoodReads that I have recently coined:

Jess ♥ Wickedly Bookish

A total 180 huh?

Kisses!

<3 Jess

First Drop of Crimson

First Drop of Crimson
By Jeaniene Frost
Series: Night Huntress World #1
Ebook Edition
287 Pages
Published: February 9th, 2010
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Creature Feature: Vampires, Ghouls, Demons
4.5 Stars

After reading all those lack luster reviews from my fellow paranormal addicts, I was a little concerned that this book wouldn't live up to its Night Huntress roots. I honestly loved this book. I am always curious about the lives and pasts of the side characters in the series. These characters who are given little attention, but hold so much potential tend to be pushed out of the spotlight once they have served their purpose. I give Jeaniene Frost mega kudos for taking up this spin-off series that has started off with a bang.

I really enjoyed the interactions between Spade and Denise, watching their tepid relationship grow into a romance. I'm really glad we all got to have this extra look into the Night Huntress world and I am excited for more of these side character focused novels. Absolutely love it. My only complaint is that Denise really wasn't my kind of heroine. She came off really insecure and flighty. Her character developed nicely towards the end, and I love a more innocent sweet heroine every once and awhile, but Denise just didn't do it for me. Otherwise, I have no complaints.. Witty and fast paced as always, Frost brings a really enjoyable companion read to her fans.

Succubus On Top

Succubus On Top

By Richelle Mead

Series: Georgina Kincaid #2

Ebook edition

352 Pages

Published: January 1st, 2008

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Creature Feature: Succubi, Demons, Angels, etc.

3 Stars

I've decided to combine my reviews for the first two books in this series. Before I begin, let me comment that Richelle Mead is one of my favorite authors. Ms. Mead, I totally get that sometimes we have an idea that is great, but it doesn't quite flesh out. I forgive you.

Georgina Kincaid, succubus extrodinare, tries to balance out her job, new contract for exellence with her boss, and love life, with disaterous results. In Succubus Blues, we find out that Georgie here can't have a physical relationship with any man she may be dating because she will inadvertantly suck out their life energy and possibly corrupt their soul leaving them with years off their life.

I felt sorry for her at first, and then the angsty self-pity/loathing led to a whole lot of bitching, whining, and destructvie decision making. Honestly, I'm not sure what to think about this series. It has an interesting premise with a wishy washy heroine. I can see where others would argue that Georgina is a strong female lead, however the girl can not get her shit together. She does not deserve Seth, the dreamy nerd with his cavity enducing sweatness. I love Seth, I think he was well thought out and well portrayed. So well portrayed in fact that I wanted to kick Georgina's ass for him several times. A guy this good deserves so much better.

The plot, of both books, was pretty predictable towards the end and dropped obvious forshadowing hints like one dollar bills at a strip club. Which is to say there were few surprises. So why the 3 star rating? Because I was left with a strange facination with Georgina's fuck ups and the need to see Seth get some much derserved action. Hopefully this series gets better, and by that I mean hopefully Georgina grows the fuck up

The Dead Girls' Dance

The Dead Girls' Dance
By Rachel Caine
Series: The Morganville Vampires #2
Ebook edition
256 Pages
Published: April 3rd, 2007
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Creature Feature: Vampires

So, just out of curiosity I decided to take a peek at the first chapter. I'm in the middle of another book for my year long challenge, but after finishing Glass Houses, I was really interested to see how the cliff-hanger played out. I started reading, and didn't stop until just now at 10:32 p.m. I think it's safe to say this book was enthralling. I had some very teary eyed moments along with Claire and even yearned for Shane and his tortured hero past.

For a YA novel, and I say that with sadness because the YA designation didn't always signify a lowering of expectations, this book is really great. The writing is good enough to keep you from second guessing the passage you just read, and the plot is well thought out and engaging. I'm really enjoying this series and hope that the following installments will be just as all consuming of my time.

Glass Houses

Glass Houses
By Rachel Caine
Series: The Morganville Vampires #1
Ebook edition
256 Pages
Published: October 3rd, 2006
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Creature Feature: Vampires

This was a fun, fast read.

Caine offers a new and interesting take on vampires and their interactions with human society. Claire is a 16-year-old prodigy surviving her freshman year in college at TPU Texas Prairie University in Morganville, Texas. After getting herself into trouble with the campus it-crowd, she looks into renting a room at the Glass House. There she meets her friends and learns that there is much more to surviving life in Morganville than going to class and dodging the homicidal gossip girls.

The one thing I really like about this book, is that Caine lets you get to know these characters as Claire builds friendships or rivalries with them. She doesn't make it overtly obvious who Claire's romantic interest will be right off the bat. You really get a chance to know who the characters are as people first before the main character starts romanticizing them. Sure Claire notices the boys are attractive, but not more so than any other teenage girl would.

The plot is interesting and keeps your attention until the end. Danger and hilarity ensue. Top it all off with a horrendously unfair cliffhanger and you've got a great series starter

City of Fallen Angels

City of Fallen Angels
By Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #4
424 Pages
Hardcover Edition
Published: April 5th, 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Creature Feature: Vampire, Angel, Werewolf, Fae, Demon

When I heard that City of Fallen Angels was coming out I was ecstatic. A continuation of Mortal Instruments? More Clary and Jace? Yes Please! I could hardly wait even with the bonus of all the pre-release goodies Cassandra Clare was providing her loyal fans.

You are all now expecting my wild praises after having just finished this book. Amazing! Epic! Wonderful! Mind-bogglingly stimulating! Hmmm... That doesn't sound quite right. Ah! I have it now! Actually, it's a bit more like dissapointing! Underwhemling! An epic regergitated mess. Where was the crack injected addictiveness of the previous books? Haven't I read this somewhere before? Yes, yes I have.

Honestly people, after hugely anticipating this book because of my love for the orginal trilogy, I believe this world and chast of characters would have been much better off staying where they were after City of Glass. I would have much rather remembered Jace as his arogant, witty, hunky self from the original books than be left with this pathetic, simpering, pile of self-loathing that has been presented to us in CoFA.

Here is where I get all spoily so please don't read on if you have yet to finish the book.

SPOILER ALERT!

Let's be honest with ourselves shall we? We all knew that Clare was going to pull some "Sebastian Returns!" bull shit. There was absoutely no surprise there. The way she did it through Lilith was creative, but honestly originality it is not. Lilith, the mother of all warlocks is more commonly known as the queen of the succubi, which are better known as...demons who sneak into mens' dreams and use the power of sexuality to weaken them and steal their lifeforce for their own. And what happned to Jace everyone? Lilith uses sexy Clary dreams that end in death to freak Jace out and slowly draw him to her so she can mark him. Ineresting parallel there. And WTF is up with Jace and Clary? Their interactios in this book can be summed up this way.

Clary: Why are you ignorning me?
Jace: I'm really not sure...
Clary: But I love you more than anyone has every loved anything in the entire span of existence! Jace: I know me too... Here let me mumble words in another language to you that you will have to trust mean what I say they mean.
Clary: I don't speak Italian
Jace: I know! I mean... it means something totally sappy that will make you forget you're mad at me.
Clary: Oh Jace! Let's make out now! I will soothe your pain with fondling!
Jace: Finally...

Also, love how she just so happens to advertise her prequel series by placing, and discussing main characters from Clockwork Angel. I guess that can be an interesting tie in, but it just felt plastic. Camille's part in the story started out promising, but fell short near then end reeking insignificance. The abruptness of it screamed insincerity.

END SPOLIER!

Fangirls, don't get all crazy on me. I respect you and your opinions, so please respect mine. I really do love this series, but instead of providing an exciting continuation of the trilogy that we all know and love to death, CoFA brings a downer on the whole franchise. I'm not going to say that I want my money back as so many reviewers have expressed, because I got what I asked for, more Jace and Clary no matter how unsatisfactory. Plus the cover is pretty and it will look good sitting next to the first three on my bookshelf. God, I love the smell of paperweights in the morning!

Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh

Angels' Blood
By Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter #1
290 Pages
Ebook
Published March 3rd, 2009
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Monster Focus: Angels, Vampires

Oh my a book about angels, this one is right up my alley! hee hee Ok seriously though, I was not expecting what I got out of this one. Remember my review for Slave to Sensation? Well get ready for the complete and utter opposite here.

Simply amazing! I was completely engrossed from the start and finished this in only a couple of sittings. I have found a new favorite series from an author I never expected to try again. I was so incredibly disappointed with Slave to Sensation that I just figured that Nalini Singh was not the author for me. Boy how wrong was I! Maybe it was a matter of not being able to identify with the forced, emotionless character of her Psy-changling series, or the fact that a lot of great series' start out ...moreSimply amazing! I was completely engrossed from the start and finished this in only a couple of sittings. I have found a new favorite series from an author I never expected to try again. I was so incredibly disappointed with Slave to Sensation that I just figured that Nalini Singh was not the author for me. Boy how wrong was I! Maybe it was a matter of not being able to identify with the forced, emotionless character of her Psy-changling series, or the fact that a lot of great series' start out with a not so great first book. Whatever the case, Singh has redeemed herself in my eyes with Angels' Blood. I loved the characters, especially suffocatingly hot, dom Raphael. The plot and world development were engaging, the writing gripping, and the tension between Elena and Raphael blistering. I can't wait to read the second book!

Thunderous applause to you Ms. Singh for writing these characters and offering a story that is gritty and horrifying one second and sultry and tantalizing the next! I expect wonderful things from this series which is only up to book 3 so far. Great read.